[UPDATE] Rest in Peace: After 32 years, Microsoft Paint is dead

Microsoft has revealed that Paint, its go-to image editing feature, will be deprecated in the forthcoming release of the Windows 10 Creators Update.

UPDATE: Following mass reaction to plans to deprecate Paint, Microsoft has confirmed that it will place the program on the Windows Store. Read the statement here.

Original story as follows:

There’s a good chance that, if you owned a PC in the heady days of Windows 98, 2000, or XP, you opened up Paint and threw together a masterpiece constituted by random lines and colours.

Those days are now unfortunately behind us, as Microsoft has announced that Paint will be officially deprecated as a feature in the forthcoming release of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update – marking the death of the program some 32 years after its first outing.

The deprecation of the feature means that Paint will – according to Microsoft – “not be in active development and might be removed in future releases.”

Microsoft instead has announced that it will be putting its energies behind Paint 3D – an enhanced version of the program that the company debuted with the original Windows 10 Creators Update that (naturally) prioritizes the development of 3D-based artwork for use in applications such as virtual reality experiences.

The move will likely see Microsoft prioritize its focus on developing tools for creators to use on platforms such as HoloLens and other virtual or augmented reality outings.

The program’s death comes amidst wider plays by Microsoft to simplify the Windows environment and remove elder features not especially relevant to its new Universal Windows App-led strategy.

The news is significant for digital artists, many of whom likely took their first steps into creating media in Paint and graduated to other programs as their needs progressed.